PREP FOOTBALL ’91 : Powerful Bishop Amat High Makes It a Battle for No. 2 : Football: Lancers, who finished 9-2 last year, expect to have area’s top team. Muir, Glendora and Nogales also expect to field strong teams.

With perennial power Bishop Amat of La Puente a clear-cut choice as top prep football team in the San Gabriel Valley entering the 1991 season, a bigger question remains: Which team is No. 2?

Muir of Pasadena, another traditional valley power, Glendora and Nogales of La Puente--two programs that have been on the rise in recent years--are expected to be a notch below the Lancers, who rank among the elite teams in the CIF Southern Section.

Other schools expected to field strong teams when the season opens tonight include Rosemead, Temple City, Claremont, Walnut, Baldwin Park and Los Altos.

Here is a look at The Times’ top 10 area teams:

1. Bishop Amat (Angelus League; Division I)--If there is any pressure on the Lancers to succeed this season, Coach Mark Paredes says it has not come from outside sources.

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we always expect to win every game,” he said. “You can’t think anything less, especially with our schedule.”

The Lancers, who finished 9-2 and reached the division quarterfinals last season, will play their usual difficult non-league schedule, including games against Muir and Long Beach Poly. But with 12 starters returning, this could be one of Bishop Amat’s best teams.

The Lancers’ offense will revolve around senior running back Scott Fields (6-foot-3, 191 pounds), who is considered among the top college prospects in the state. As a junior, Fields rushed for 1,416 yards and 15 touchdowns in 176 carries and caught six passes for 66 yards and another touchdown.

The Lancers also return a physical fullback in senior Miregi Huma (6-0, 186) and have a talented understudy in sophomore Rodney Sermons. The quarterback will be either Mike Smith or Andy Reitz, both juniors. Bishop Amat also has a speedy wide receiver in Mark Butler and a solid line led by center Troy Gideon.

But the strength of the Lancers appears to be the defense, where seven starters return. Fields and Huma return at safety and Jason Hernandez and Paul Shay will be the cornerbacks. Bishop Amat also returns all-league linebacker Peter Gomez and has a big defensive front that includes nose guard Willhans Ili (5-10, 270) and tackle Chris Gallardo (6-1, 240).

2. Muir (Pacific; Division II)--Year in and year out, the Mustangs have as much talent as any school in the valley. The problem this season is that they also have the most difficult schedule.

The Mustangs’ non-league schedule includes road games against Eisenhower, Bishop Amat and Fontana--the top three teams in the Division I preseason poll.

First-year Coach Mike Morris takes over a squad that finished 8-4 last season under John Tyree. “If people will just be patient with them, with the kind of schedule we have, I think they’ll really come around by league season,” Morris said.

Muir’s run-oriented offense will feature junior quarterback Andy Colbert, senior fullback Linza Williams and junior tailback Ricky Potter. The Mustangs also have tight ends Derrick Norman and Charles Myles and wide receiver Ron Jones, who could be the most talented receiver in the valley.

The Mustangs do not have a lot of size on their offensive line, although there is plenty of quickness led by guard Tyrone McMullins and tackle Charles Owens. On defense, Muir will rely on Colbert and Jones in the secondary, Andre Morton and Norman at linebacker and Myles at tackle.

3. Glendora (Baseline; Division IV)--Without a doubt, there is no team in the valley that can claim as much success as the Tartans over the past two seasons.

During that span, the Tartans have a 23-3-1 record, a co-championship in the division and an appearance in the division semifinals.

With size and experience returning from a team that finished 11-2, the prognosis is for more of the same.

“They’ve worked very hard over the summer,” Coach Dean Karnoski said. “The way we’ve done the last two years, the kids know that if they come into the program they’ve got to work hard. Success definitely breeds success and the kids get to the point where they don’t expect to lose.”

The Tartans shouldn’t miss a beat on offense with the return of quarterback Tracey Thompson (6-4, 190), who started most of last season, and an offensive line that returns nearly intact led by tackles Kirk Bowman (6-5, 230) and Don Liddell (6-3, 275) and guard Mark Roberts.

Thompson also has a corps of quality receivers including C.J. Kassotis, who caught 41 passes for 585 yards last year, Scott Jacobsen and tight end Josh Romero.

Liddell, Bowman and Roberts anchor a strong defensive line. Linebacker Jason Nagy also returns and the secondary will be led by Romero, Kassotis and Jacobsen.

4. Nogales (Sierra; Division IV)--In his third year as coach of the Nobles, Brian Beveridge says he finally feels at home in his surroundings.

“The first year was a little tough and last year was a little better,” he said. “But now I feel like these kids are more my own.”

Not that Beveridge didn’t have good results in his first two seasons, when the Nobles finished 7-5-1 and 10-1. So there is ample reason to expect a big season from the Nobles this year.

Nogales will build its offense around senior running back Lawrence Lanham, who rushed for 900 yards as a junior and has 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash. “We expect big things from him,” Beveridge said. “Nogales has been blessed to have some very good running backs in recent years and this is his year.”

Lanham will be joined in the backfield by quarterback Roland Chavira, who started at safety last season, and sophomore running back Lamont Adams. Chavira also has a good tight end in Clint Wild.

The defense is a inexperienced, but not without talent. The leaders are linebackers Cesar Martinez (6-0, 205) and Mario Cuenca, lineman Wayne Countryman (6-0, 225) and cornerback Kevin Devine.

5. Rosemead (Mission Valley; Division V)--By any standard, 1990 was a memorable season for the Panthers.

Not only did they win the league title, but they advanced to the division quarterfinals before losing to Palm Desert and finished 10-2.

The Panthers could be even better this time. In fact, they were ranked No. 1 in the division in a preseason poll.

The chief reason for the rosy outlook is the return of quarterback Matt Koffler (6-4, 210), a consensus preseason prep All-American who completed 134 of 238 passes for 2,243 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. “He’s had a great summer and he’s gotten a lot stronger,” Coach Jim Hall said. “He benches 295 pounds. He’s just a real mature kid and he’s set his standards high and wants to be No. 1.”

Koffler will also have a good group of receivers led by Kenny Gonzales, who caught 35 passes for 836 yards last season, Ray Dill and tight end Pat Ahhing (6-3, 275). Other offensive leaders are running back Kevin Brackens and linemen Ray and Ralph Hernandez, who are not related.

The defensive line will be led by Ahhing, a major-college prospect, and Ray Hernandez. Jack Phan and Conan Rojas will play linebacker and Dill and Brackens return in the secondary.

“I think this team has the potential to win another league championship,” Hall said. “If we stay healthy and grow as much as I’d like, we also have the firepower to do well in the CIF playoffs.”

6. Temple City (Rio Hondo; Division VII)--The Rams have gone 28-8-2 over the past three seasons, but Coach Jim Walker has found there is a downside to having established a winning tradition.

“We’ve had three fine seasons in a row and I think a lot of people just expect us to do well and for us that’s the challenge,” Walker said.

The Rams are regarded by coaches as the preseason favorite for the league title, although Walker isn’t as convinced. Temple City returns 12 starters, but must replace players such as All-Southern Section linebacker Matt Gilmour, quarterback Terry Fesler and safety Bill Woodard.

Temple City, which was 9-2-1 and reached the division quarterfinals last season, should have a potent backfield led by fullback Curtis Renner, halfback Javier Ortiz and either Bob Sanchez or Greg Flores at quarterback.

The Rams also have an experienced line that returns tackles David Kim and Brian Mustain, center Paul Jordan and guard Gary Renner, Curtis’ twin brother. They also have two good receivers in tight end Tony Aemmer and flanker David Manion.

The defense also has experience with the return of nose guard Richie Quach, tackles Tony Marrs and Matt Cooper and linebackers Robert Bucolla and Adam Wagner. The leaders in the secondary are Braxton Gregg and Flores, who had eight interceptions last year.

7. Claremont (Baseline; Division IV)--You will be hard-pressed to find a more imposing team than the Wolfpack this season. There are certainly not many other high school teams with an offensive line that averages 242 pounds.

The Wolfpack starters include tackles Cam Styles (6-8, 260) and Matt Grace (6-4, 215), guards Brian Jones (6-2, 235) and Ernie Bituin (6-0, 260) and center David Baker (6-4, 240). Styles is only a junior.

Claremont also has good size on defense, including all-league middle guard Mike Moraga (6-1, 240), tackle Mike Freitas (6-4, 235) and linebackers Jason Hooks (6-2, 220), Jeff Gates (6-0, 210) and Mario Leon (6-0, 225).

The Wolfpack, which was 5-5-1 and reached the playoffs last season, also has talented skill-position players returning, including tailback Terrell Grant, fullback Gary Brooks, tight end Mark Bazzett and quarterback David Hargrove.

8. Walnut (Valle Vista; Division IV)--The prospects appear good for the Mustangs, who have several top players returning from last year’s 8-3 team that finished in a three-way tie for the league title.

“We could be a real competitive team or we could have a tough time but hopefully we’ll be very competitive,” Coach Jim Patricio said.

On offense, quarterback Tommy Vasquez returns. He passed for 1,313 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

The Mustangs also return wide receiver Rick Pinion, who had 37 receptions for 663 yards and 11 touchdowns, and running back Clint Poulter, who rushed for 594 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 24 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receiver Larry Brown and four offensive linemen, including tackles Jason Hill (6-3, 245) and Keelin Boulware (6-5, 220), also return.

“We think our offense has some good potential,” Patricio said. “We had really good performance at times (last season) and we just need to keep doing the job.”

The defense will be led by the return of Hill--the team’s only two-way player--on the line and linebackers Greg Wolden, Brian Ellis and Danny Garay.

9. Baldwin Park (Sierra; Division IV)--The Braves finished 10-3-1 and reached the division final before losing, 10-6, to Arlington last season. They return most of their top players at the skill positions, including quarterback Marc Ruiz (6-2, 185), who passed for 1,500 yards.

Wide receiver Dante Casillas and running backs Tyrone Torres and James Heggins also return. Other top offensive players include wide receivers Art Tejada and Lalo Arrieta and slotback Lawrence Phillips, a transfer from West Covina.

The defense will be led by linemen Jesse Garza and Ron Mondragon and defensive backs Mark Moreno and Phillips. One drawback will be a lack of size on the interior line.

“We’re definitely not as big as we were last year so we’ll have to rely more on quickness than we did last year,” Coach Tony Zane said.

10. Los Altos (Sierra; Division IV)--Last season is a year that longtime Coach Dwayne DeSpain would just as soon forget.

The Conquerors finished sixth in the Sierra League and 4-5-1 overall, snapping a Southern Section record streak of 18 consecutive seasons in the playoffs.

Los Altos will field one of its youngest teams ever.

“We’re improved over last year already but we won only four games last year,” said DeSpain, who has a 200-69-8 record as he begins his 25th season as Los Altos coach. “The difference I can see in the kids is the kids came into camp in shape and we should be pretty tough mentally, too.”

The strength of Los Altos may be its offensive line, which returns tackles Steve Merchant and Roger Price, guards Chris Voth and Joe Parra and center Roger Arriola. The Conquerors also return running backs Ben Rosales, John Yeu and Miles McIntosh and have two solid receivers in flankers Sean O’Shea and Brett White. The quarterback will be either senior Mike Urrutia or sophomore Darren Merrill.

Expected to be among the starters on defense are defensive back Matt Merrill and sophomore linebacker Jake Merrill--both cousins of Darren--and sophomore linebackers Tommy Rossner and Scott Russell. Other starters include Merchant on the line and Yeu at defensive back.

Other teams to watch:

Arroyo (Mission Valley; Division V)--The Knights finished 5-6 last season but still made the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years.

With 12 starters returning, including several two-way players, Coach Don MacKinnon believes the Knights can return to prosperity once again.

“The attitude is super, which we couldn’t say last year, and the kids have really worked hard all summer,” he said. “I think that makes a big difference.”

The Knights have experience in their backfield with the return of running backs D.J. Hoyt (5-11, 180) and Keith MacLellan (5-10, 185) and quarterback David Ruiz. They also have good receivers in Mike Gonzalez and John Mendivil and return linemen Mike Bernal (5-11, 230), Noel Mendez and Manuel Cruz.

The defense returns linemen Ron Daniels (5-11, 225) and Frank Ibarra, MacLellan at linebacker and defensive backs Cliff Seitsinger, John Claypoole and Ron Wayman.

Damien (Baseline; Division IV)--It was a frustrating turn of events for the Spartans last season, when they were expected to have one of their better teams only to struggle to a 3-7 record.

With 11 starters returning, longtime Coach Dick Larson is hoping to make last season a distant memory.

“We’re very optimistic about this group because they’ve done everything we’ve asked and they’ve done it on their own,” he said. “They just don’t want to repeat last year again.”

The Spartans return good talent in the skill positions including quarterback Matt Bechtel and running back Jody Napuunoa, who rushed for 700 yards as a junior. The offense will also feature running back Travis Casey, linemen Desi Herrera (6-2, 210), Jon Himebaugh (6-3, 225) and Ernie Prieto (6-2, 230) and tight end Basil Acree (6-2, 200).

Damien’s defense will be especially strong in the secondary with the return of starters Roman DeLeon, Ben Zimmerman and Angelo Antonelli. Other top players include Acree and Himebaugh at defensive end, James Brown at nose guard and Loen Garcia at linebacker.

Ganesha (Hacienda; Division V)--With the move of last year’s league and division champion, Etiwanda, to the Baseline League, Ganesha appears to have taken a giant step forward in the Hacienda title race.

“It’s going to be a pretty even league now,” Coach Gary Norvell said. “I don’t think anyone will dominate. But we know we can play competitive football with anyone.”

The Giants, who return 11 starters from last season’s 6-5 team, must first survive a demanding non-league schedule that includes games against Etiwanda, Nogales, Redlands and Norco.

Ganesha will build its run-oriented offense around quarterback Derian Slayton (5-10, 170) and halfback Damien Helms (6-2, 190), who rushed for 800 yards last season. Norman Weatherall also has experience at the other running back position and the Giants have two standouts on the line in guards Jose Lerma (5-10, 240) and Chuck Hagen.

The Giants expect to be led on defense by Brian Hildenhagen (6-1, 280) and Lerma at tackle, Hagen at linebacker and Helms in the secondary.

San Marino (Rio Hondo; Division VII)--San Marino has enjoyed a steady stream of success over the past three seasons, including a Division VII title in 1988 and an 11-1 record and berth in the division semifinals last year.

However, with the graduation of top players such as defensive lineman Nathan Olsen and running back Alfonso Montoya and the return of only five starters and 21 lettermen, the Titans will be tested this season.

“We’re hoping the tradition carries on,” Coach Bill Maloney said. “It’s going to be important this year, especially with us lacking a little size and experience.”

The offense will revolve around quarterback Shannon Ching, who is only 5-9 and 175 but bench presses 325 pounds, running back Matt Solomon and wide receiver Ryan Johnson. The Titans also have the makings of a good offensive line led by all-league guard Chris Calnon (5-10, 210), tackle Brian Dennis (6-2, 215) and tight end Austin Rettig.

San Marino will build its defense around Solomon at linebacker, Johnson at cornerback and Rettig at safety.

Sierra Vista (Montview; Division VI)--With most of their top players returning from a squad that shared the league title with Pomona and finished 8-3, the Dons would appear to be the team to beat for league title again.

Only Coach Don LeGro doesn’t want to sound too confident.

“On paper we look better than ever but I’m also smart enough to know that the word ‘potential’ can be death on paper,” he said.

The Dons expect to build their offense around running back Joe Ruvalcaba (5-9, 165), who gained a valley-leading 1,761 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

Tackle Domingo Flores (6-0, 230), guard Jose Guzman (6-0, 200), tight end Shane Pitchford (6-3, 230), wide receiver Antwoine Holmes, fullback Egmont Cervantes and quarterback Cesar Garcia are other top offensive players.

The defense will be led by all-league linebacker Hector Avalos, linemen Pablo Contreras (5-10, 230) and Guzman and defensive backs David Velasquez and Holmes.